RALEIGH – According to a new report from WalletHub, North Carolina ranks 12th among a list of all U.S. states and the District of Columbia for locations where employers are facing the greatest challenges in hiring talented workers for open roles.

North Carolina’s job opening rate in the month with the most recent data was calculated to be 8.10% and the rate over the prior 12 months was 7.33%, according to WalletHub.

Alaska is the state where the most jobs remain open, with a rate of 8.4% according to WalletHub.

South Carolina and Georgia rank ahead of North Carolina, with a job opening rate of 8.3% in South Carolina and 8.4% in Georgia, according to the study.

Across the state, the labor market has been a bit turbulent as of late, including some recent layoffs in the mortgage industry.

And should economic growth slow, or the economy in North Carolina see a continued pullback, job seekers may need to be more cautious, Dr. Michael Walden, an economist and a William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor Emeritus at North Carolina State University, outlined to WRAL TechWire earlier this week.

Walden advised that when offered employment, job candidates ought to consider taking it, rather than waiting.

Through turbulent labor market, job opportunities abound in the Triangle

What’s happening

“Markets are pretty efficient,” said Miren Ivankovic, an Adjunct Professor of Economics, Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business – Clemson University, in the WalletHub study.  “In this case, we are discussing a labor market and with upward pressure on wages, the market should reduce the shortage.”

Still, said Ivankovic, statistics without context can often feel confusing for consumers, leading some to ask why there are shortages even though the unemployment rate is also very low.

“One statistic here is important, the labor force participation rate and it seems that individuals who left the labor force are not returning to it,” said Ivankovic.  “This is a problem that should be addressed and improved.”

The data used to create the rankings list come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the latest month of data was given double-weight in the analysis, the study notes.

Economic forecast shows NC economy experiencing a pullback, including in job market